What Comes After
by WinglessDemeter
Summary: There are still some unexpected surprises and challenges to their "happily ever after" after the curse has been broken. -Please R&R-
1. Happy Anniversary

_**Chapter One: Happy Anniversary**_

Today was their anniversary.

The curse had been broken and a way home was finally found, all was well. Some found they had very little left to go home to and opted to remain in Storybrooke, Belle among them. She had come to love working at the library and the freedoms that came with it. She found that Storybrooke had more to offer her than the Enchanted Forest ever could. Here she had girl's nights with her friends (the ones that decided to stay at least), she could do anything, be anything she wanted here. And this gave her an even greater sense of worth than the day when she had sacrificed herself to save her people. There were so few limits to what she could accomplish here in this little hidden town in Maine. Without the curse preventing anyone from leaving, she could even travel and explore new places. For a land without magic, this place seemed to be pretty magical where her choices were here own.

Even though Rumpelstiltskin had yet to find his son, he had not asked her to stay. He did not want her to feel compelled to stay in this place because of him and went as far as to suggest she return home with her father. But she would have none of that. They had been apart for so long that she wasn't just going to up and leave now. The day he opened his front door to find Belle standing their, suitcases in hand and a smile on her face was truly one of the happiest days of his life. He had given her the chance to leave his side and she had chosen to stay with him. No words were needed as he stepped aside to let her in and she planted a quick kiss on his cheek before making herself at home. Rumpelstiltskin was thrilled at the thought that this was now _their _home and that when he came back from his shop every night, Belle would be here waiting for him. It truly seemed that they were finally getting their happy ending. And even though he had yet to find Baelfire, things at the moment were just perfect.

Today was their anniversary and Gold had big plans for this evening. After a couple months of planning and hiding from Belle, he had chosen this day to make that happily ever after just a little happier. Tonight was indeed the night when he would finally propose to his lovely Belle. More than twenty-eight years ago she had promised him forever. This time he was asking for a different kind of forever. Not as his maid but as his wife and try as he might he could not quite quench the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. True, she was already his in every way so there should be no reason for her to refuse his proposal. It seemed that despite knowing this, knowing she loved him as much as he loved her, Rumplestiltskin would never quite be able to shake off the feeling that Belle would wake up one day and decide she did not want to be tied down to someone like him.

As he set the table that evening (Belle had insisted she cook rather than go out for dinner) Rum went through the entire evening in his head trying to pick the perfect moment to pop the question and gather his thoughts. It was rather hard to pick just the right words to convey everything he felt, everything _she_ made him feel just being by side. They just never seemed to be enough. So when dinner was finally served it came as no surprise that his mind went completely blank. He could scarcely even recall any of their conversation throughout dinner so he just sat there brushing his hand over the ring in his pocket and nodding. If Belle noticed his inattentiveness this evening she never said a word and just kept right on talking, excited about some new book or other. Before she could get up to clear the table and get dessert Rumple took hold of her hand, keeping her in place as he ran this thumb slowly over the back of it. She looked at him with so much warmth in her eyes he could melt and that gave him the courage to push forward with his plans.

"Belle, you know how much I love you right?" She nodded, eyeing him curiously. "Letting you go all those years ago was one of my biggest regrets and you know that I have so few of those. Now, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without you being always by my side."

He could feel the ball of nerves turning in his stomach. He was the dark one for heavensakes, he could do something as simple as propose to a woman. So why was it so darn hard to just say it? Rumpelstiltskin would not let his nerves get the best of him. Looking back into her eyes, he took a deep breath before continuing.

"My...My point, love, is...will you-"

Before he could finish his sentence Belle stood up and quickly dashed back into the kitchen where she proceeded to hurl the contents of her stomach into the trash can. Alarmed, Gold stood up to follow her and held her hair back until she finished and leaned against the counter breathing heavily. He handed her a glass of water and pressed a hand to her forehead examining her closely. He certainly hoped that she had not realized his intent and this was just some way of evading a question that maybe she was not ready for yet. It wasn't like they had never discussed this in the past and from his understanding, Belle did not seem opposed to the idea of marriage.

"Rum...there's something I need to talk to you about," Belle said while looking down at her now empty glass.

She couldn't possibly be changing her mind...could she?

"Belle, maybe you should go lie down," he replied. "You are still looking a bit pale."

"No, that's okay. I'm fine."

"I don't think throwing up for ten minutes constitutes as fine. Now, come on. You should-"

"I'm pregnant!"

The room was suddenly so quiet you could probably hear the proverbial pin drop. They stood there for a few minutes or what could easily have been seconds with Rumpelstiltskin staring at her mouth slightly gaping and her looking down at her feet. Finally, while still in a great amount of shock, he managed to utter, "What?" as Belle bit down lightly on her bottom lip.

"Well, I was feeling sick the past few weeks and at first I thought it might be a cold but when it didn't go away," She took a moment to catch her breath after letting the words just fly out of her mouth so fast she wondered if she even sounded the least bit coherent. "Then I went to the doctor and they told me I was pregnant. Roughly nine weeks."

The room kept spinning around in front of Rumpelstiltskin as he attempted to process what she had just told him, barely hearing any thing she was currently saying to him. He was vaguely aware that of Belle's voice becoming more and more distant and his vision beginning to blur. No, not blur. It was smoke...purple smoke. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath attempting to relax until he was suddenly aware of the fact that the kitchen had just gone cold. It was the breeze flowing through his hair that made his eyes snap open and he surveyed his new surroundings. This was not good. Not good at all. It seemed that between his nerves and this new, rather shocking, revelation Rum had inadvertently magicked himself to the forest neat his home. He could only imagine what Belle must be thinking right now, standing alone in the kitchen after he vanished and right after telling his such an important piece of information.

Pregnant. His Belle was pregnant. With a baby! After all their time together he had somehow failed to acknowledge the very real possibility that _this_ could happen. It wasn't like they were always careful, sometimes just getting so swept up in the heat of the moment they wouldn't even remember to use proper protection. And considering it had not happened months before, it probably just never dawned on him that she might not be using any type of birth control either. Did they ever even discuss what that was before? She had been locked up for twenty-eight years and she certainly never had any necessity for it so why would she need to know? This was bound to happen.

And suddenly as rush of joy hit him as he once again realized that Belle was pregnant with his child. A piece of him and her all rolled into this tiny little being that was growing in her belly. It was the most magical thing in the entire universe...Then he of course remembered with a great amount of shame that he had vanished in a cloud of purple smoke and left her standing in the kitchen...alone...Right after telling him she was pregnant with his, no _their_, child.

Oh crap!

As fast as he could, Gold magicked himself back to the kitchen only to find it empty. She was probably upset with him right now so of course she wouldn't just be lingering around in the kitchen waiting for him. Belle probably would not even want to look at him after what he just did. He had to fix this, and quickly too before she got the wrong idea and really did leave for good this time. His feet felt heavy as he climed the stairs to the second floor where their room was, dreading what fate could possibly await him with each step if he could not make this right.

He found Belle sitting on the edge of their bed, a wad of tissues in hand and sniffling. She looked up at the sound of his footsteps as he entered the room. Her eyes looked red, tears still threatening to spill as she watch him take a seat next to her. But before he could begin uttering his apologies to her, she beat him to it.

"I'm sorry," She said quietly as she dabbed her eyes with the tissues. "I know that you are still worried about finding Bae and...look, I am fine raising this child on my own. You probably didn't even-"

Rum cut her off with a kiss and put his arms around her waist as he pulled her close. His sweet Belle was apologizing to him when she had done nothing wrong. This was all his fault, not hers. Without thinking, he pulled away and blurted out, "Marry me." Now it was Belle's turn to look shocked.

"What?"

"Will you marry me?" He repeated.

"Please tell me you are not just doing this because of what I told you."

"No. No, no, no. I have been planning this for the past two months and I am terribly sorry for the way that I reacted. I was trying to propose when you caught me off guard and I guess I just let the nerves get to me," Gold took her hands in his. "Belle, I am not in any way upset. In fact I'm thrilled! Now more than ever, I want you by my side forever, raising our family together."

He could see tears beginning to form in her eyes and again and he hoped to whatever being was out there that he hadn't just said the wrong thing. It seemed that his prayer was answered when Belle crashed her lips on his, causing them both to fall back on the bed. She held on to him as tight as she could before nuzzling her face at the crook of his neck.

"Yes, Rumpelstiltskin. Yes, I will marry you," Belle whispered into his ear before leaving a trail of kisses all the way back to his lips where she pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss that seemed to convey all of her love for him. This night may not have gone exactly the way he had planned it in his head but it certainly did turn out a lot better than he had expected. They had a baby on the way and Belle would soon be his wife. He pressed a hand to her stomach as she continued lavashing him with kisses all over his face. Things were all starting to fall into place and right at this moment, despite not yet finding his son, everything was just perfect. Soon, Baelfire would join them too and they would all be a family.

It was a happily ever after indeed.

* * *

**For those of you wondering, yes I will be making a second part to my fic "Wednesday Afternoon" at some point. But for now I am a bit excited about this current idea and want to get as much of it out of the way. Already finishing up the third chapter to this story. Please tell me what you think. Comments and ideas welcome. Speaking of ideas, anyone want to suggest a character to be Belle's doctor. She is currently nameless (could be changed to a he if needed). Title may also change later on. **

**Thank you for reading.**


	2. Two Pink Lines

_**Chapter Two: Two Pink Lines**_

_(no copyright intended)_

Belle was not at his side when he blindly felt around the bed for her, missing the warmth of her wrapped up in his arms. When he could not find her he opened his eyes and sat up to look around the room and noticed the light in the bathroom was on with the door left slightly open. As he got to his feet and made his way to the door, he was not surprised to hear the sound of Belle throwing up into the toilet. It had been this way all week long and he was grateful that today was Saturday. The library was only open until around noon and it could stand to be closed for the day. With her morning sickness coming and going rather frequently throughout the day, it would be better that she stayed home to rest and not lift a finger until she felt better. If only it were that simple.

When Rumpelstiltskin opened the door, he found Belle sitting up against the tub, her head leaning against the wall and looking as pale as a sheet.

"I'm sorry," She said, her voice coming out rather hoarse, as she stood up. "I haven't even made breakfast yet."

"Shh," He stopped her before she made her way out of the bathroom. "Go back to bed, I will take care of breakfast today. Alright?"

"Rum, I'm fine. I can make it myself."

He put an arm around her and began to lead her back towards the bed. "You are not winning this one, love. Now get back in bed and I will come bring you something to eat in a few minutes."

"No really, I am not tired at all. I can do it."

After a few minutes of them going back and forth between him wanting her to stay in bed and her wanting to start the days chores they managed to compromise. Belle was to sit on the couch while he found something that wouldn't send her running back to the bathroom and after he would go to his shop to tidy up a few things before coming back to make lunch. In the meantime she could dust around the house (without climbing on any ladders or anything of the sort), water the plants and take care of the dishes. The rest of the time she was to either stay in bed or in the living room to either read or watch some television. They would schedule an appointment for sometime this week to see if there was anything they could do about her morning sickness and check to be sure her and the baby were healthy.

Belle watched him through the peep hole until he got into his car and drove away, knowing that Gold would rather be at home hovering than be at work. Sometimes it was kind of endearing how he tried to take care of her to the best of his abilities, knowing full well he would only ever do this for her. Other times, like the past week, his over protectiveness could be a bit suffocating. Rumpelstiltskin had barely let her get any cleaning done around the house or even cook without an argument. But she guessed she could not really blame him entirely seeing as the majority of the time, the smell of food would bring her morning sickness back. Maybe once they went to the doctor and he could see that everything was okay he would loosen up a bit. At that thought she brought her hands up to rest on her stomach. It still seemed rather surreal to her that there was indeed another being growing inside of her.

Glancing around the house, Belle decided that the dusting and dishes could wait. She felt like taking a quick walk through the woods, hoping that the fresh air would help the nausea disappear. After getting dressed and putting on a pair of comfortable pair of shoes, sticking her cell phone and keys in her pocket. Today was an unusually sunny day and the feel of the sun seemed to be exactly what she needed as made her way through the forest near their home.

As she continued on her way she began to think back on everything that had happened the past month. It was Ruby that had first brought up the possibility that she might be pregnant after she nearly threw up in her car twice during a shopping trip one afternoon and once in the bathroom of Granny's during lunch. Belle had kindly brushed of her concern with a smile, stating that she was probably just getting a flu and would be fine in a couple of days. But after it had gone on for about of week, Ruby came by one Friday afternoon while Rumpelstiltskin was still at the shop with a pink box that she handed to her and said, "Pee on this."

She had looked curiously from the box to Ruby before saying, "Is this some sort of wolf thing?"

"What? No! It's a pregnancy test, Belle."

They both started laughing and then Belle had once again attempted to brush the thought off. "Ruby, seriously. Thank you but I am fine. It is just a bug and I will be fine in a couple of days tops."

"Just humor me a little...please? Just to be safe and then I will never say a word about it again."

Ruby's version of puppy eyes in the end proved effective enough to get Belle to consent to take the box and look over the instructions. A gallon of water and three bright pink positives later she had dashed off to the doctor's office with Ruby at her heels. An hour and another positive test later there was no denying it. She was pregnant. The whole drive home she had remained quiet, overwhelmed by the news and she was so glad that Ruby had decided to just let her process everything rather than make conversation. When she dropped her off, Belle thanked Ruby for keeping her company and made her swear that she would not breathe a word to anyone until she had talked to Rum. Her friend had nodded and told her that everything would be fine. She would not say a word until Belle was ready to let the world know about this unexpected surprise.

When Belle had been locked away by Regina, the thought that Rumpelstiltskin might be coming to rescue her had been one of the few things to keep her going. She had imagined their reunion about a thousand different times in her head and what would happen after. Short of coming back to stay with him in the Dark Castle and seeing where true love would take them, she supposed the thought of children had never quite factored in. Before she had left with Rumpelstiltskin to be his maid, her only thoughts of children had been that it would be her duty to bear her husband a son to keep his line going. Not that she would not have loved the child any less for it. But when she arrived at her new hope, all thoughts of having any children vanished because it was no longer an obligation nor an option for her. She had expected to live out her days cleaning, cooking and looking after her master who in his own way was a bit like a child from time to time and that was the closest she would probably ever get. So since that day, Belle had never really thought or considered that it could some day be an option again even after she fell in love with her master, even after the curse was broken in Storybrooke and she had come to live with him once again.

Now, there wasn't even any time to think about it because ready or not it was happening and for the most part, Belle was absolutely thrilled about the child growing within her. In a few months she would have a small piece of him and her to take care and love. Thoughts of children with his face and her bright blue eyes filled her head until she began to wonder how her love would react to the news. She realized how desperately he continued to search for his son and maybe he had never even considered having another child. They had never discussed children before. Marriage yes, children no. Would he even want another child, possibly more some where down the road?

Rather than tell him the news as soon as he got home, Belle had opted to try easing him into the thought of a baby to get a better idea of what his thoughts were on the matter. So the entire week leading up to their anniversary she had left a pair of tiny shoes in his study, a baby blanket over the back of the sofa and even offered to baby sit for Ashley (Cinderella) one night so her and Sean could have a night to themselves. But even with her casually mentioning how sick she had been feeling, Rumpelstiltskin did not seem to get the hint at all. He always seemed distracted by something and would disappear to his study for hours. Perhaps this was her answer. Still not giving up, she had decided to just come right out and discuss the matter during their anniversary dinner. She had spent the afternoon cooking some of his favorite foods, hoping it would help ease him into the idea. But when she rolled their conversation around to the subject of children, she realized that the darn man had not even been listening to her the entire night and the smell of their meal was starting to make her feel a little ill.

When she tried to excuse herself to the kitchen with the excuse of getting dessert before this nauseous feeling got the best of her, Gold held her back. He seemed to be fiddling with something in his pocket. Belle had sat back down trying to push down the queasy feeling in her stomach while she listened to him speak but in the end she just could not hold back and had to dash to the nearst trash receptacle. After that she just could not take it anymore and decided to just go for it and ended up blurting out the news. It felt like a weight off her shoulders now that it was out in the open and felt better for about two seconds before the silly man had disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, leaving her standing alone in the kitchen. After that, she had feared the worst. Maybe Rumpelstiltskin was not ready for another child, if he even wanted one. For a few minutes as she made her way up the stairs to their room she contemplated packing up some clothes and going back to her apartment in the library to give him some time to think about the situation.

The whole thing had just gone terribly wrong. She knew Rum, he probably hadn't even meant to disappear and was just in shock by the news. Once he returned and reassured her than he was anything but less than thrilled about the news she knew she had been right to wait for him. All her worries vanished and she felt just a little foolish for thinking he would not have wanted their child. He had even proposed to her! Things were turning out better than she could have hoped. They had a baby on the way and a wedding to plan. It was like a dream come true.

Before Belle realized it, it was almost time for her love to return home and decided it would be best to head back to do a little bit of cleaning before that. Being outside in the fresh air had made her feel better than she had all week. Maybe she could convince Rumpelstiltskin to come for a walks with her every day until the morning sickness disappeared permanently. When would that be again?

She was so wrapped up in thought that Belle didn't realize the bit of loose dirt and rock give way under her until she was already sliding down the small hill.

* * *

_**So, I kind of wanted to write something on Belle's take about the whole pregnancy and Gold disappearing before I got into the other stuff. I still had a bit of research to do for the next few chapters so I can get things as accurate as possible. **_

_**Please review. Reviews are encouraging and as well as suggestions. Will need a name for Belle's doctor for the next chapter, already have a couple of suggestions and sort of leaning towards one at the moment. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Things should be picking up soon :)**_

_**~WinglessDemeter**_


	3. Where the heart is

_**Chapter Three: Where the heart is**_

_(no copyright intended)_

When Rumpelstiltskin returned home with lunch he had picked up from Granny's and a paper bag, he found the house to be completely eerily silent.

"Belle?" He called, but there was no answer. "I brought lunch."

He looked all over every room in the first floor, including the library but there was no sign of Belle any where. Rather than start to panick immediately he decided she must have gone upstairs to nap and headed up the stairs only to find that their room too, was empty.

"Belle!" Rumpelstiltskin called again, a little louder this time. There was still no answer and then, he decided, this was a good time to start worrying. She was not inside the house and from what he could see she was not in the backyard reading in the garden. So where the heck was she? He knew he should have stayed home today. Fishing his cellphone out of his pocket he scrolled down his list of contacts and dialed her number. Gold was relieved when he hear her answer after a couple of rings.

"Belle! Where are you? I came home to find you gone."

"Rum, please promise me you won't overreact and start yelling."

He froze on the spot almost instantly. This did not sound good. Why in the hell had he listened to her in the first place? Maybe it would be a good idea to put some type of ward on the doors. First things first.

"Belle-"

"Please?"

"Fine. Now tell me what happened."

"Well, I decided to go for a walk and I slipped on my way back. I think I might have broken my ankle."

All the blood drained from Rumpelstiltskin's face. His Belle was hurt and he had to find her. He would worry about scolding her for her clumsiness later after he made sure her and the baby were okay. Gods please let them both be okay. Gold was not sure he would be able to handle it if something was wrong with either one of them, not after everything they had been through. Oh, if only the once great Queen could see him now.

After Belle gave him an idea of her general location he ran out of the house and hopped back into his car to look for her. Sure enough, he found her sitting against a tree at the bottom of a small slope biting at her bottom lip when she saw him. Careful to avoid slipping down himself, he made his way down to her and kneeled down to examine her ankle. It was starting to look a little swollen but for the most part it did not look broken.

His next task was to help her back up to the car without sending them both crashing down and injuring them both. He put his arm around her waist for support, making her lean against him to keep from putting to much pressure on her ankle, lest they make it worse. It took them a while as they kept a slow pace but eventually they managed to get back to the car and headed home. It was not until he had her safely buckled into the car that it dawned on him that it would have been much simpler to just magic them both back to the car or the house for that matter. Too late now.

Once they were back inside their home, Gold lead her to the living room and prop her foot up on the coffee table while he went to retrieve a bag of ice. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding as soon as he entered the kitchen. Belle did not look to be severely hurt but you never could tell and it wasn't just her he had to worry about, there was the baby too. Her ankle, broken or sprained, he could easily fix with just a flick of the wrist but the baby was another story. Rumpelstiltskin had no sure way of knowing if anything was wrong much less how to fix it if there was. It was one thing to fix a broken bone, it was another thing entirely to fix something so small that had just barely begun to take shape.

He had to get her to the hospital. Now! Making his way back to the living room Rum picked up his keys again and grabbed their coats.

"Come on. We're going to the hospital."

"I don't think that is necessary. Apart from my ankle I feel fine. Just come and sit with me," She patted the seat next to her but Rumpelstiltskin would not budge.

"Something could have happened to the baby and for all you know that ankle could be broken. I just want to be sure that you are both fine."

Belle looked up at him worridly before whispering, "Okay" and trying to get up from the couch as carefully as she could. He was right. A sprained ankle was nothing compared to the possibility of losing this life they had created. She felt bad for making him worry as he helped her back into the car and drove into town. Rumpelstiltskin rarely, if ever, worried about anything other than losing her again because almost everything could be solved with a deal or a little magic. So if he was worried now, it had to be for good reason and that scared her just a little as she did what she could to keep a brave face on and stay positive. But as she gazed out the window she pressed both hands gently on her stomach, silently whispering _I'm sorry _and trying to hold back tears. She felt one of Rumpelstiltskin's hands cover hers, the other still on the wheel. He rubbed soothing circles with his thumb over the back of her hand as if telling her to relax, that it would be fine.

When they arrived at the hospital, they did not have to wait long before being taken into an examination room. One of the nurses inspected her ankle before someone came in wheeling in a machine that looked a lot like their computer back at home. The newcomer, a woman with greying hair and kind green eyes, grabbed her chart from the door and came over to them.

"Hi, I am Dr. Rosella Miller. It looks like nothing was broken during your fall, just a sprained ankle that should heal in about a week. It also says here that you are pregnant, correct?" Belle nodded. "Are you feeling any pain?"

"No, aside from my ankle nothing hurts. I feel fine," Belle responded.

"Okay, that is a good sign. I am going to need you to lift up your shirt a little bit so that we can do an ultrasound and check that the baby is doing okay."

She took hold of Rumpelstiltskin's hand as the doctor applied a gel like substance to her stomach and ran a white object that was rounded at the end over it. The doctor was quiet for what seemed like forever moving the transducer probe over her. Just as she was beginning to fear that something might have happened, the doctor pointed to the computer screen.

"There he is, safe and sound. From what I can see, everything looks normal and doesn't seem to have been affected by the fall. Just to be safe, I would like to put you on bedrest for the next two weeks and have you come in for another ultrasound. Would you like to hear the heartbeat?"

Belle stared in awe at the little grey and white blob on the screen. She could make out the shape of it's head and what might have been a hand but it was still early so she couldn't be sure. This was their baby. She beamed at the doctor and nodded then watched as she pressed a couple of buttons on the screen. Soon enough, the room was filled with a staticky sound and as she listened closely, Belle could make out the thumping of her baby's heartbeat. She turned to look at her fiancee and saw what looked like tears threatening to fall as he stared at the screen in front of them, giving her hand a light squeeze. It was one of greatest sounds that he had ever heard since coming to this land without magic.

The doctor smiled at them before printing out a couple of pictures and handing them to Belle. "I estimate you are about 10 weeks 4 days, give or take a day. Everything looks fine. Call me if anything changes, and other than that I will see you in two weeks. Take care."

Belle got up from the hospital bed and cleaned up the gel before a nurse came in to hand them her bedrest order. She would have to make arrangements at the library since she would not be allowed to go into work until the doctor gave the okay. And if she knew Gold, he probably wasn't going to be letting her do anything at home either. This was going to be a long two weeks. But for the moment she was happy as they walked back to the car holdings hands as she kept looking at the ultrasound picture in her hand. If she hadn't been sure before, now it was definite. They were having a baby and she could see Rumpelstiltskin trying to hide the smile on his face as they drove home to make lunch. In her head she started making a list of everything they would need to do to prepare for the baby's arrival and a wedding as well.

Rumpelstiltskin disappeared into their room as soon as they got home while she began unpacking the food that he had brought earlier. Sitting next to was a brown paper bag and out of curiousity she took a peek. Inside was a mystery novel by one of her favorite authors and two pregnancy books. Belle smiled as she took one of them out of the bag and started reading, not noticing when he entered the room until she felt his hand brush a stray curl behind her ear. She grabbed hold of his tie and brought him down for a kiss which he pulled back a lot quicker than usual. Trying to mask the slightly hurt look on her face, she watched him take her hand and slip his hand into his pocket before slipping a ring on her finger. Shocked, she brought her hand up to inspect the ring before launching at him with a fierce kiss, the force nearly toppling them both.

It was a beautiful ring with a gold band, with a moderately sized diamond in the center and two small blue stones on each side. The inside had an engraving of a rose with the words, _Forever_ inscribed above it.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you too."

* * *

**Thank you to **_tigger64_** & **_cynicsquest_** for the suggestions. I am trying to incorporate both as they gave me some pretty good ideas for later chapters. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to review.**

**~WinglessDemeter**


	4. Shotgun Weddings

_**Chapter 4: Shotgun Weddings**_

**14 weeks**

_Your baby at 14 weeks will be around the size of your clenched fist. He will also be starting to sprout hair to keep him warm. Over the next few months, baby fat will accumulate to take over the job of keeping your baby warm and allow for some, if not most, of the hair to be shed._

_ At this time, morning sickness and fatigue should begin to lessen which will in turn bring about an increase in appetite and energy. Your breasts will become less tender as they change and grow in preparation for breastfeeding. During this time you will also be more susceptible to colds and flus because of your body lowering your immune system's defenses in order to keep the fetus from being rejected. Make sure to wash your hands frequently and avoid sick people._

* * *

Now that the first trimester was over, Belle felt that it would be a good time to start telling their friends and family. After a couple more visits to Dr. Miller just to assure that everything was progressing as it should and there was no danger to either her or the baby, she had been taken off bed rest but instructed to "take it easy". And so with that, they had begun preparations for the arrival of their new addition.

She started by telling her father who had returned to the Enchanted Forest after the curse broke, in hopes that he would want to come join in the preparations. Belle knew that this was an experience that majority of women shared with their mothers and seeing as how she had only ever had her father for so long, she felt it would be about the same as having a mother with her during this time. And for anything else, she always had Granny to help her.

After a few tries with an enchanted mirror and a little magic to make it like a Skype chat between worlds, Belle was finally able to get a hold of Maurice. She found him in his room, staring at the fire with a rather blank stare.

"Papa?" She watched as he jolted out of his chair and survey the room before his gaze landed on the mirror.

"Belle?" He came to stand in front of it with his hand outstretched, poking at the mirror slightly. "What is going on?"

"It's an enchanted mirror, Papa. This way we can talk. I missed you."

"So, you are intent on staying in Storybrooke after all," Maurice replied, a crestfallen look on his face.

It made her heart sink into her stomach to see her father this way. This call was not going the way that she had hoped. She had so much to tell him but it would have to wait. From the looks of it, he had not been taking things well since he came back. Belle could already see the bottles hidden under the desk in his room. Her father not been too happy when she had decided to stay behind in Storybrooke and even less pleased to find out that she was living with the Dark One again.

"You should come and stay with us here for a few days. You don't look well, Papa."

"I'm fine, Belle," He replied with a sigh, then gave her his best attempt at a smile so as not to worry her further. "Now what is it that you wanted to talk about. I don't think you would go enchanting mirrors if it wasn't for a reason."

"I could go see you." She replied, ignoring his last comment. "I haven't been back since the curse broke. It would be nice to take a little vacation."

She could see Maurice's eyes brighten a bit at the thought before he shook his head repeating, "I'm fine. And I am sure that you have your own things to do there. How are things with the beast by the way?"

"He is not a beast, Papa and I wish you would stop calling him that. I know he doesn't mind it as much anymore but it bothers me. And it would be great if the two of you could at least try to get along for my sake. Please?."

"He's not threatening you into this is he?"

"No, for the last time. I am not here or with him against my will! I love him."

Maurice let out a sigh and nodded, still not quite alright with the idea of his daughter and the Dark One but not wanting her to stop talking to him again by trying to stop her. She knew what she was doing but if Gold ever did anything to his daughter, he would not hesitate to beat the tar out of him. Or at least make an attempt to seeing as one of them had a very unfair advantage. Turning back to his daughter in the mirror, he could tell by the way that Belle was biting her bottom lip that she was not done. There was still more that she had to say but seemed to be having trouble getting the words out.

"There's something I need to talk to you about."

Normally Belle was pretty blunt with him when something was wrong and never hesitated to voice the problem. So the fact that she was beating around the bush right now was a little troubling.

"Belle, is everything alright?"

"Yes...I'm just...pregnant."

Belle winced slightly as Maurice began to yell and curse from the other side of the mirror for about five minutes before the connection was severed. Was everyone going to keep disappearing every time she told them she was pregnant? The only ones not to leave her standing there were Ruby and Granny. The two had been more than thrilled when she had came by with the ultrasound pictures and had already started making plans for a baby shower just as soon as she found out the sex. Belle could only hope that the rest of her friends would take the news as well as they had. She sighed as she got up from the vanity and decided that a nap was in order. She had been feeling tired more than usual lately and her conversation with her father had left her more than a little bit drained. Belle was worried about the state he was in when she had finally found a connection and even more now considering his reaction to the news. But she guessed she should have expected it seeing as they would be having a child out of wedlock. Her father had not been pleased with that thought already wanting to strangle her fiance half to death.

She woke up from her nap a couple hours later to hear angry voices yelling downstairs. As quietly as possibly, she made her way down the steps until Rumpelstiltskin and her father came into view. It seemed that Maurice was attempting to either strangle or throw a punch at him. Whichever it was, Rumpelstiltskin was doing a good job at holding him off with the help of a little magic as Belle moved past him to her father. Both men stopped whatever they were doing as Belle put her hands on her hips and stared them both down. Her father leaned heavily against the wall while Rumpelstiltskin straightened out his suit jacket, now avoiding her gaze. He knew he would be paying for that later.

"Maurice, I know that we have our differences but it does not mean you can come in here unannounced weilding a sword!" Rumpelstiltskin said, glaring at his soon to be father-in-law.

"Sword?" Belle looked between the two men who decided to continue their argument despite her comment. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the glint of something silver in the hallway. Sure enough, she could see a sword laying next to a broken flower vase and overturned table.

Maurice went red in the face with anger almost instantly, "It wasn't bad enough that you had to take my daughter, but now you got my precious Belle pregnant!. No grandchild of mine is going to be born out of wedlock! I may not like it but you will marry her immediately before this all gets out of hand."

"That's what you are all worked up about?" Belle came to stand between the two men. "Papa, I think the two of you fighting this out is already making this 'get out of hand'. And what is this suppose to be? Some sort of shotgun wedding?"

"Well, technically love," Rumpelstiltskin interjected. "Your father had a sword, not a shotgun."

"I don't care!" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave them both a look that could probably freeze hell. "Now, here is what is going to happen. I am going to go to the kitchen and make us all dinner. You two will sit in the living room until dinner is ready and there will be no fighting, no yelling of any kind. Got it?"

Both men stared at her and nodded, to which she smiled, gave both a kiss on the cheek and disappeared into the kitchen. She returned a few seconds later to grab the sword from the hall and hide it in the pantry. She also took a lovely pearl colored lamp with hand painted roses she was fond of with her just in case. Both were left standing there, not quite sure what to do. Neither was a big fan of the other. They eyed each other warily as they took a seat across from each other in the living room, neither saying a word. The silence was slowly beginning to become awkward as they both say their looking like two children who were put in time out. This was going to be a very long night.

While Belle set about making dinner, very glad that her morning sickness was going away enough for her to cook proper meals again, she tried to keep as close an eye on the two men in the living room as she could. Before her father had severed the mirror connection she had planned to call Gold into the room and allow for them to have a private conversation. While he had already proposed to her and she had accepted, it had been important to her that they get her father's blessing. They had wanted to do this properly and she had wanted them to make small steps in dissolving some of the tension between the two before the baby arrived, asking for her hand had seemed like a pretty good step in the right direction. But seeing how her father had reacted to the news of her pregnancy, she worried that maybe the engagement would have been a better place to start. Regardless of whether her father gave his blessing or not, they would still be getting married but it would mean so much more to her if Maurice was actually there to give her away.

"What if we went to the courthouse before the baby gets here?"

Belle looked up from cutting vegetables to see Gold leaning against the end of the counter.

"I know you would rather have an actual wedding ceremony and it's not like we can't have one after the baby gets here."

"It's not about the wedding, Rum. I could care less whether we have a big ceremony or go to the courthouse. I get you either way but it would be nice if Papa would give us his blessing."

"Oh, he has but he is not letting up about his future grandchild being born before the wedding."

"My Papa will love the child regardless. This is about us, not him. What do _you _want to do?"

He came over to rest his hands on her hip and kiss the back of her neck. "I want you, always. I am afraid of losing you again."

She turned around in his arms and pressed her lips to his. "I'm not going any where. Now go back to the living room while I finish making dinner. If you stay here any longer I might just have to drag you upstairs."

Rumpelstiltskin smirked against her lips, "I wouldn't mind skipping dinner."

"Belle?" They pulled apart just as Maurice came into view. "I wanted to see if you needed help with dinner. You really shouldn't be on your feet."

"Papa, I am pregnant not injured. Dinner is almost done, let me just pop it into the oven and then we can all sit down to watch some t.v while it cooks."

Maurice nodded and retreated back to the living room. She shooed Rumpelstiltskin out of the kitchen as well as his hands began to roam. He gave her a gentle swat on the bottom as he left. Belle could only imagine the things he was planning for when they were alone again. Maybe it was the hormones but she couldn't help but get just a little excited at the thought as she finished chopping vegetables and stuck dinner into the oven.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please review :)**  
**I have the gender ultrasound planned for next chapter but I do tend to get side-tracked when I write. It was originally suppose to be this chapter but as you can see everything just got away from me in the process. But it leaves more room for ideas next chapter.**

**Also, please excuse any inaccuracies with the info at the beginning of the chapter. I was thinking of incorporating what is happening in the pregnancy each chapter. Most of it was a combination of three different website summarized in my own words. No copyright was intended and the information belongs to the _Whattoexpect & __Pregnancyguideonline _websites.**

**~WinglessDemeter**


End file.
